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Territorial Expansion (1600s) |
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In 1640, when the Portuguese under John IV recovered their independence, they refused to abandon the lands they had occupied and colonized west of the original Tordesillas line. Claiming what has since become recognized in international law as the right of uti possidetis - the right derived not only from title but also from "useful possession" - the Portuguese succeeded in establishing themselves as the rightful owners. The second half of the 17th century saw Portugal freed from Spanish rule, the northeast of Brazil liberated from a 24-year occupation by Dutch forces, and the weakening of Brazil's sugar economy.
The decline of sugar production was followed by a movement outward from the sugar growing regions to unexplored territories.
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